Contains junk from my college days to applying the Dilbert principle at work to theater to nostalgia to Jim Morrison to Schumi to friends to getting old and none the wiser, and more recently, Indian socio-political commentary: or, just blah blah and more blah

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Man's World Magazine Predicts Narendra Modi's Rise in 2002

On RSS - the puppet master, and Modi's symbiosisAnd although as chief minister he may not speak against the jurisdiction of courts in the Ayodhya matter, that is the position he holds—it is a matter of faith and the faith of the majority must prevail. “Hindoosthan mein rehna hai to Vande Mataram kehna hoga” is to Modi the essential principle of accepted socio-political behaviour. In fact, so well and deeply dyed in khaki is he that whenever one needed to get a sense of what might be happening in the often off-limits bull pen of the RSS, Modi was the man to go to—if there was one man among the general secretaries of the BJP who knew the workings of the RSS mind, it was Modi. Not always because he had information but because he had the instinct; he thought like one of them, he was, and is, one of them. And he wouldn’t move a millimeter to pretend he isn’t.

On the now infamous BJP's Goa conclave - how the BJP caved in and determined its (as yet, unfulfilled) destiny

To believe that Modi is averse to chief ministership is to also believe that he had arrived at the Goa summit of the BJP in midsummer, scarred by his short fling with governance and ready to give up and return to the backroom. Quite on the contrary, he came to Goa determined to hold on in the face of mounting demands—even from sections within the party—that he be sacked. He had come not to submit but to dare. The mayhem of Gujarat had not been a consequence of his inexperience and inefficiency, it had happened at his bidding. It was not a lapse, it was a deliberate design. And now the gauntlet was before the party. It either committed itself to Modi and his politics or risked losing not only Gujarat but also earning the wrath of its hardline bosses in the Parivar for whom Modi had already become the latest pin-up.

On AB Vajpayee - the 'liberal poster' of the Sangh for who he truly was

Modi came to Goa riding a tide and he swept the party with it. Proof? Prime Minister Vajpayee, the Liberal, rounded off the Goa convention with a speech that might have rankled in his own ears later. Wherever Muslims go, he said, they create trouble, they have become a problem the world over and Gujarat was no exception. The menace in Gujarat was not Modi and his mobs, the menace was “Muslim terrorism”.

On the use of 'net' - if you were being compared with Chandrababu Naidu then you must be doing something really right. Also note, the lack of absence of the term "social media"

One does not know if Modi has funded this website, but there is no doubt that he has used the net far more effectively at promoting himself than any other chief minister in the country, Chandra babu Naidu included.

On the obsession with Patel and ahem his 'youth' - Statue of "Unity" and a certain Saheb's snoopgate

Besides his love for poetry, Modi also seems quite enamoured about the fact that he, at age 52, is very young. On the official government site he is referred to as a ‘young political leader’, while www.narendramodi.com describes him as a ‘Young Indian Statesman’. Modi’s other obsession of course is Sardar Patel. Narendramodi.com in fact has a section called ‘Know Your Sardar’ where a picture of Modi morphs into Sardar Patel at the click of the mouse.

On websites devoted to him,which no doubt have his blessings, Modi at age 52 loves being described as ‘The Young Indian Statesman’, a ‘Poet- writer’ andmost importantly as ‘Sardar’ after Sardar Vallabhbai Patel.

On the the love of the netizens for the Dear Leader - awesome prescience from the author in the last line

And finally Vikramidtya Daga provides the ultimate encouragement, “You have done a great service to the Gujarathi Hindu community. My humble request is if you could also do this to the entire Hindu community by trying to become PM. I am currently not voting for BJP in my state, but if you stand for PM I will vote for BJP.” Lal Krishna Advani better watch out.